Former ADF chief Angus Campbell appointed ambassador to Belgium
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The news: Former Defence Force chief Angus Campbell has been appointed ambassador to Belgium.
The context: Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed on Friday that the decorated veteran, who stepped down as ADF chief in July last year after six years in the role, will take up the post in Brussels.
In 2015, Tony Abbott appointed Campbell (AO) as Chief of Army before he was promoted to Chief of Defence in 2018.
Campbell was in the role during the Brereton Inquiry, which concluded in 2020 there was credible evidence that elite Australian forces committed 39 murders during the War in Afghanistan.
Campbell responded to the report by disbanding the 2 Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment, apologising for a “distorted culture” which existed in the ADF. He also recommended that a meritorious citation for the unit be revoked but, following backlash at his comments, insisted no decision had been made.
And in 2012, at the height of the most serious allegations, Campbell served as commander of the Joint Task Force 633 based in the UAE and regularly visited Afghanistan. That led to calls for his own medals to be stripped, with independent MP Jacqui Lambie referring ADF top brass — which would include Campbell — to the International Criminal Court, arguing the Brereton Report did not look into issues of command responsibility.
In July, a Senate inquiry was launched into the awarding criteria for defence honours and awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross which Campbell was awarded in 2012. In September, Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed a small number of awards — believed to be under 10 — had been cancelled.
Before taking up the role, Campbell was appointed to oversee Operation Sovereign Borders — designed to curb asylum seeker boat arrivals from Indonesia — under the former Coalition government.
What they said: “His experience as Chief of the Defence Force from 2018 until 2024 will help deepen Australia’s peace and security cooperation with NATO, both in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific,” Wong said in a statement.
The sources: Penny Wong press release, SBS, The Guardian, ABC
